We should all be listening to more jazz, but unless you’ve grown up around it, it can be intimidating to dive in. There are some extremely thorough and educational listening guides out there if you have a minute, but for now let’s keep things short and sweet! We’ll hit legendary, no-skip albums from some of the genre’s pioneers as well as newer fusion records and personal favorites.

High Energy Bebop

Dizzy Gillespie - Groovin’ High (1955) This is a quintessential bebop album with a good balance of cheerful, laidback numbers and frenetic, high-octane showcases of Gillespie’s technical abilities. It’s trumpet-driven, complex, and energetic.

Perfect for: putting on in the background to energize you while you clean your house.

Other albums with similar energy levels include:
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (1959)
John Coltrane - Giant Steps (1960)

Classic Vocal Jazz

Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook (1956)

This is Fitzgerald’s second foray into recording a comprehensive selection of works by popular American composers. (Others include the works of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and George & Ira Gerschwin.) The album is happy, dreamy, and nostalgic.

Perfect for: sitting around a fireplace with family, or in warmer weather, sitting outside in the evening with a loved one.

Other albums with similar energy levels include:
Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (1956)
Louis Armstrong - Hello, Dolly! (1964)
Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass - Take Love Easy (1973)
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (2002)

Cool Jazz

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)

This album represents the shift away from fast-paced bebop and towards more modal, experimental jazz. Davis brought outlines and a general idea of what he wanted and then let the artists trust their instincts and collaborate. The listening experience is relaxing, conversational, and intimate.

Perfect for: reading a book or hosting a small, intimate dinner party.

Other albums with similar energy levels include:
Dave Brubeck - Time Out (1959)
Bill Evans Trio - Waltz for Debby (1961)
The Modern Jazz Quartet - Django (1953)

Fusion with Soul and Beyond

Nina Simone - Pastel Blues (1965)

Simone effortlessly blends elements from jazz, blues, soul, and gospel music here. Some arrangements are slow and contemplative, while others, like Sinnerman, are totally spell-binding, with driving rhythms and intricate instrumentation. The entire album hinges though on her vocal performance, which is compelling, unique, and expressive.

Perfect for: cooking, driving, or focused listening.

Other albums with similar energy levels include:
Nina Simone - I Put a Spell on You (1965)
Mulatu Astatke - Ethio Jazz (1974)
Alice Coltrane - Ptah The El Daoud (1996)

Where To Go From Here

Of course, this is only a tiny sample of what’s out there! But that breadth of options and eras and subgenres can be intimidating. It’s hard to know where to start or what artist to pick or whether a song will fit the mood you’re in. So we default to what we know. Or sometimes we forget to even listen to music at all. Hopefully, this list removes some of those obstacles!

Click through the links and listen to as many albums as you’d like. You don’t have to do any of the decision making, you just have to trust that a Miles Davis album is probably going to be a good, enriching thing to listen to. (Pretty easy bet!)

Then, if you listen to everything here, or are moved by a particular style or artist, you can keep the ball rolling. Listen to more albums by these artists. Give a totally different artist a try! Read about the collaborators in an album and listen to their music. Ask a relative about jazz that they like, new or old. Connecting the threads between these legends, their lesser-known collaborators and contemporaries, the generations of people who listened to them, and the newer artists and audiences inspired by them today is what keeps jazz alive and well.

There’s no wrong way to engage with the genre. It’s complicated and diverse and comes with a lot of history and technique, but any participation at all is enriching to you and to the art form.

As always, happy listening!